Still in Paray

At 9.15 this morning I phoned the lockie, as arranged yesterday, but no reply so I left a message on his voicemail to say we will be at the lock at 10.00.  These are automatic locks and there is no lockie on site but they control it all from a central terminal that tracks the boats and they need to know when you are starting/stopping.  We were at the lock well before 10.00, green light, gates open, so we went in, tied up, pulled the cord to activate the lock - and nothing happened. Tried again and again, 10 minutes later I phoned the lockie, who answered this time and said, sorry no go, water levels are too low! So we reversed out and returned to the halte nautique in Paray. 

I went for a long walk through the lovely park and old town, and after lunch I went to the laundry. Well you've got to take advantage of a laundry when you have sheets and towels that need washing.

Yesterday I was wrong about the Tour Saint Nicolas.  This is it, completed in 1531

15th century timber framed house

The magnificent Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), the façade dates from 1525, added onto structures 100 years or more older

The house with a tower on the right was built by a Protestant during the Edict of Nantes era in the 17th century.  There was a vibrant and successful community which operated the tanneries. All destroyed by the revocation of the edit in 1685

This afternoon we received and "avis" from the VNF that there are low water levels between locks 17 and 18 until Fiday, but that is 6 locks away from us.  And the water level is 1.2, deep enough for us.  We will have to have a discussion (in French!) with the lockie tomorrow morning